Tatranská Polianka is a recreational settlement situated in a well-forested area on a southern slope of the Slavkovský Peak.
In the settlement there is an important archaeological field with ancient settlement revealed in sc. Yellow Wall (1020 m). It is still unclear who were the inhabitants and what was it used for. Some relicts founded in this area indicate that it was inhabited about the year zero, at the time when northern mountainous part of Slovakia was inhabited by the people of Púchovská culture.
Tatranská Polianka was founded in 1888 by three farmer families from Veľký Slavkov (Big Slavkov). Firstly it was used as a relaxation point on the road from Old and Horný Smokovec to Štrbské Pleso (Štrbské Mountain-lake), and as a suitable starting point for hikes to the Velická Valley and surroundings.
Under the leadership of Michal Guhra (1873 - 1933), a medical doctor and a member of one of the founding families, Tatranská Polianka became specialised in healing tuberculosis by the end of the 19-th century. At the same time it was offering suitable conditions for skiing and tourism. Sanatoria rose in number especially in 1925. It accepted patients with Basedow illness and asthmatic illnesses.
Nowadays, a modern Jiří Wolker Institute is a part of Tatra´s sanatoria complex, which is specialised in tuberculosis and respiration illnesses.
Originally, a private pension Tatranský Domov (Tatra House) was built on the eastern end of the settlement in 1912. Today it is a part of sanatoria in Tatranska Polianka.
An academic painter, Andor Boruth (1873 - 1955), who painted excellent portraits and landscapes, lived in Tatranská Polianka, too. Jiří Wolker (1900 - 1924), a famous Czech poet, was recovering here from tuberculosis. This fact influenced his poetry, too. A favourite place of Jiří Wolker (where he used to sit) is marked with a monument and a bust (designed by V. Kýn in 1949).
NOTE: Administrative part of the town Vysoké Tatry (High Tatras)
